Survey: Critical skills required for public safety leadership

Researchers aim to identify the critical skills required for public safety professionals to succeed in a leadership role

By News Staff

Researchers from Washington State University, in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards & Training, are researching the critical skills required for leadership in the public safety sector.

The researchers are hoping to answer two primary research questions with a recently launched survey for law enforcement, corrections, parole and probation, fire, EMS and telecommunications/dispatch:

What are the critical skills required for public safety professionals to succeed in a leadership role?

What makes it more difficult for public safety professionals to succeed in a leadership role?

The survey is extensive, and responders are asked to only complete the amount they feel comfortable with (spending no more than 90 minutes total responding).

Responders are asked to rate a series of "performance" and "difficulty" statements for how important they believe they are. Public safety professionals from law enforcement, corrections, parole and probation, fire, EMS and telecommunications/dispatch are encouraged to respond.

Results, which researchers plan to share broadly, will provide sound evidence on critical skills required for public safety leadership and will be used to inform curricula at the academy, university and in-service levels.